Renew The Church! – website and Blog

“How to Make a Good Confession

According to the Teaching of the Catholic Church”…

by Gabrielle (Burke) Vienneau

Return of the prodigal son by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo C. 1670

This is a book I want to recommend to readers here on my Blog. The author, Gabrielle (Burke) Vienneau, is a friend for many years now, though we have met only by correspondence. Her late husband Gene was introduced to readers of this site in a blog essay A Holy Death, which was written by Gaby, to honor her husband.

It was an honor for me to include Gaby’s testimony on Gene’s death on the Blog, and it was an additional honor that she asked me to write the Preface to her book.  I will include below two writings.  First, my Preface to her book, and second, her announcement letter describing the book.

PREFACE

In one of my books, The Ordinary Path to Holiness, I was fortunate to have Father Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR, offer to write the Introduction.  I realize how helpful it can be to have someone else who already has a book or two out in the vineyard, add some words of commendation to one’s own efforts. Therefore when Gaby asked me to write this Preface to her book I was of course honored and happy to do so.  These times call for such a book as this.

We are living in a time when sin – and the grave harm that follows in its wake – has been moved away to the margins of common awareness.  It is not mere coincidence, but probably part of the mystery of iniquity itself that in the years after Vatican II many in the Church followed not the universal call to holiness and the perfection of charity (as the Council taught) but a call to a vague and subjectively sensed “spirit of Vatican II”.  In this so-called “spirit of Vatican II”, many in the Church were deprived of their right to the full and saving Truth of the deposit of Faith.  Instead many were given merely vague assurances of God’s great love – along with a suppression of the sense of sin, of evil, and of the very active evil one seeking the ruin of souls.  We are now in a determined recovery, thanks be to God, from the wounds of those days!

This growing recovery and advance toward the beautiful truth of the Gospel sets before us the ugliness of sin, the beauty of truth, the call to holiness, the demands of the authentic Christian life, and thus our need for the Sacrament of Confession.

Many Catholics today, even of advanced age, have not been to Confession since their own Confirmation!  Such were the effects of years of silence concerning sin and the power of evil, in our catechesis.  The Church needs catechesis, counsel, encouragement and instruction about this much neglected Sacrament of Confession – and this is where this book comes in. Gabrielle (Burke) Vienneau has written this small book packed with trustworthy teachings of the Church concerning sin and forgiveness, along with some beautiful and encouraging religious art-work to add what only good art can add: signs of the great mercy and love of God for us in our journey to Him.  The Church needs to hear what Gabrielle is writing.  May the Lord bless this work, and through it lead many, many souls more and more deeply into the ocean of His cleansing forgiveness, and His merciful love.

R. Thomas Richard, Ph.D.

Letter of Announcement of the Book:

How to Make a Good Confession According to the Teaching of the Catholic Church

Mrs. Gabrielle (Burke) Vienneau’s fifth book is on sale for only $15.00 (U.S. dollars, shipping to U.S. is included)

 When Gabrielle launched her first book on confession in French, she expressed that it was just wishful thinking to have it translate in English, and published within the same year. However, she managed to do just that! The English version is now on sale.

Gabrielle is happy to announce that the sale of the French edition on confession went well and more expeditiously than she had anticipated.

The letters from the Vatican helped because many know that Cardinal Marc Ouelette, and Monsignor Peter B. Wells would not support anything contrary to the Magisterium. Of course, support from the Pope was a great surprise, and a real incentive! Those two original letters from the Vatican are in this version, and translated in English. This, along with a third letter received, again from the Vatican. The French book is now sitting comfortably in the Vatican library, and the English version is presently accompanying the original in its new home in Rome.

 About the Author:

Mrs. Vienneau has two Bachelor degrees and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, with a major in Deaf Education.

Other books she authored:

1. In the Spring of 1998 : A volume of 368 pages, an Acadian and Genealogy book: Jean à Isaïe à Jacques Haché et Hélène Boudreau leur descendance et l’ascendance de Jean jusqu’en France.
2. In May 2000: Nanny’s Old Fashion Recipes
3. In 2003: Precious Pearls From Heaven, written to accomplish a promise Gabrielle made to her sister, Viola, while on her death bed.
4. In December 2010, Written in French: Tout Pour Faire Une Bonne Confession d’Après l’Enseignement de l’Église Catholique, launched in March 2011.
5. How to Make a Good Confession According to the Teaching of the Catholic Church. This version in English is now available.

She affirms: “We have a wealth of information to help us, in our pursuit of educating ourselves regarding our faith. It is easy, interesting, even fascinating, to study our religion and read the history of saints, martyrs, and stories of heroism. History is most captivating, and enriching!

“Authors always attempt to improve a second edition; therefore, the English version contains three additional subjects. I am confident that you will find this book an indispensable tool. It was written for those who would like to discover the wealth and beauty incorporated in the teaching of the Church through the Catechism of the Catholic Church; concerning the sacraments, and especially the sacrament of confession. Christ said: ‘If you love me observe my Commandments’ (1Jn 2:3-4; 1Jn 3:24; 1Jn 5:3). How are we to observe his Commandments if we do not know them?”

For single copy buyers: You may obtain this book for $15.00 (U.S. dollars, shipping to U.S. is included). Write to:
Gabrielle Burke-Vienneau,
249 Saint Patrick Street,
Bathurst, N.B. Canada, E2A 1C9

or phone: 1-506-543-5044 (for TEXT only, please);

E-mail: gabyburke340@gmx.com

update 01/23/2021:

NEW: A new website dedicated to this book is here:

https://catholicconfession.wordpress.com

For French readers, because of demand I needed to make a second edition of the French book. The new version was slightly improved to make it more like the English book.

For Booksellers: I used to sell the books on my husband’s website. However, since my husband passed away, I have not sold any. I am now in a senior’s residence. I had to retire at age 40 because of my deafness, so the sale of the remaining books would help to pay a small part for some hearing aids which I badly need. Your help with the sales would therefore be much appreciated. If you accept to sell the books, I will send the two boxes containing 170 total, (meaning $1,700.00) I will pay postage and you could keep a percentage.

Since profit was not my aim, I gave away many. With the French, I possibly broke even, but with the English, I was about 2,000.00 in the red. This did not bother me since I was happy to help, and the salvation of souls was my primary goal.